Father who paid £38,000 to his ex in child maintenance is forced to keep paying even after finding out ‘daughter’ ISN’T his after 14 years
- The unnamed father of two disabled children had to pay £2,000 in arrears
- The CMS wanted DNA proof he wasn’t the father but his ex wouldn’t allow a test
- The arrears were cleared after Emma Hardy MP and Hull Live contacted the CMS
A father of two disabled children has been forced to continue paying child maintenance despite his ex-partner admitting that a 14-year-old girl was not his biological daughter.
The man from Hull, who cannot be named to protect the privacy of the child in the case, had paid £38,000 of child maintenance to his ex over 14 years before the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) agreed to put a stop to any further payments after his ex-partner confessed that the girl was not his.
The CMS sent the man a letter confirming he was not the parent of the girl but they said the man still had to pay the £2,000 arrears before the matter could be fully closed.
This is the letter the father of two from Hull received from the CMS telling him that he no longer had to pay child maintenance to his ex because he was ‘not the parent of this child’
Speaking to Hull Live, the man said: ‘As someone who is currently paying for a child that the CMS have confirmed is not mine, I think it is very important to highlight how they get away with what is effectively breaking the law.
‘At the end of last year my ex told me my daughter was not mine, which considering she was 14 years old at the time came as a bit of a shock.
‘I was obviously devastated, especially as I am a father of two disabled boys who I care for full time.
‘I have literally given my ex tens of thousands over the last 14 years that could have been spent on them, although I am more upset because I loved my ‘daughter’ with all my heart and did my best for her.
‘I asked how that works because the child is not mine and they had confirmed that. So here I am paying arrears I do not owe, for a child that is not mine.
Despite the acknowledgement he was not the father of the 1-year-old girl, the CMS had calculated the arrears the man still had to pay to his ex
‘It is a farce and the CMS should be ashamed.’
The man disputed the additional payments but was told that he needed a DNA test to prove that he was not the girl’s natural father – but the mother refused to allow a test to be carried out.
Hull West and Hessle MP Emma Hardy urged the Department for Work and Pensions to review the case ‘urgently’.
The dad, who worked full time for more than 20 years until he became the full-time carer of his two disabled children asked how he was meant to obtain DNA proof that the girl was not his biological daughter if his ex-partner would not allow it.
Hull Live contacted the CMS and eventually they U-turned their decision to enforce the arrears.
The arrears were eventually cleared after Emma Hardy MP and Hull Live intervened on behalf of the man (stock image)
After the arrears were cleared, the man said: ‘I am no victim. I have two wonderful kids, an amazing better half and blessed beyond my wildest dreams, so I would rather focus on that than have negativity in my life – which is why I will be delighted when the CMS are finally out of my life and I can look to the future.’
Emma Hardy said the case should have been resolved without the input of an MP and a journalist.
A spokeswoman for the CMS told Hull Live: ‘Following further information, we have reviewed the case and will be in contact with him as soon as possible to discuss our decision.
‘Arrears were incurred before the case was closed in October 2019.
‘Following our review of the case, we have decided that Mr [name] does not have to pay arrears.’